The JFS Weinberg Food Pantry did not begin because the need for food and other essentials suddenly emerged. Our food pantry started because the need grew beyond what several compassionate Denverites began in 1991 and could manage on their own. 

When Barbara (Bobbie) Carr read articles about Jewish people throughout the Denver community, needing food, including newly resettled Russian immigrants, she was compelled to help. Together with her husband, Jerry (of blessed memory), friends Ralph (of blessed memory) and Carolyn Auerbach, and others, they started a Kosher Food Bank. The friends met weekly, interviewed prospective clients, purchased food from wholesalers, and gathered to sort, pack, and distribute the items with other community members. The group was dedicated to making sure there was always enough food for those in need and often worked with synagogues and individuals to raise funds—and, of course, generously donated themselves in addition to their time. 

In 1994, when the community needs became too great and the operation too large for the founders and their friends to manage, JFS stepped in and adopted the pantry into the agency. In 2003, the pantry moved to its current location at our Denver headquarters. It became The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Food Pantry after the agency received funding from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, which is dedicated to meeting the basic needs of people experiencing poverty. 

Despite the administrative operation changes and a location move, the founders remained involved, and their goal of providing hunger relief for those in need is still at the forefront of what we do. For 20 years, the food pantry has provided a safety net for those in the community who are food insecure, and while the needs continue to increase, so does our commitment to help. 

Not only were the Carrs the innovators behind our Weinberg Food Pantry, but they are also members of our JFS Legacy Society. Because they decided to leave JFS in their estate plans, their legacy will continue to make a life-changing difference to the thousands of families who rely on JFS to rebuild and transform their lives. We are so grateful for their compassion to support their neighbors in need and for their steadfast dedication to JFS.